NCAA SWEET 16 GAMEDAY PREVIEW
At Austin, Texas
Gophers vs. Ohio State, 11 a.m., ESPN2, 96.7-FM
Marquette vs. Texas, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
Gophers (22-8, 15-5 Big Ten): The Gophers have some familiarity with Gregory Gym, they lost to Texas in four sets on Aug. 31 in Austin in their third match of the season. In their first matchup with Ohio State in October, the Gophers hit .097, their worst mark of the season, and were swept. They haven't hit worse than .211 since. In the rematch on Nov. 25, they hit .254 to win in four sets. They swept Southeastern Louisiana and Northern Iowa to reach the regional semifinals.
Ohio State (21-9, 15-5 Big Ten): This is the third straight Sweet 16 appearance for the Buckeyes. Junior opposite Emily Londot was named Northeast Region Player of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Ohio State was 15-1 in conference play after defeating Nebraska on Nov. 13, but then lost four straight to Maryland, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes swept Tennessee State and Southern California in Columbus to reach the regional semifinals.
Marquette (29-3, 17-1 Big East): The Golden Eagles have three losses this season — two to Creighton and one to Wisconsin. They defeated Kentucky to start the year and swept Creighton on Nov. 19 for their two best wins in the regular season. Marquette swept Ball State and Georgia Tech, the No. 13-ranked team in the nation, to reach the regional semifinals. They are led by Big East Setter of the Year Yadhira Anchante, outside hitter Aubrey Hamilton and middle blocker Carsen Murray.
Texas (24-1, 15-1 Big 12): The No. 1 overall seed in the tournament has been the dominant college volleyball team all season, with one loss coming at Iowa State in October. Outside of that match they have lost just eight sets. Only question may be a lack of competition — the Longhorns have faced six ranked teams all season, and four came in their first four matches with wins over the Gophers, Stanford and two over Ohio State. Outside hitter Logan Eggleston is the front-runner for national player of the year. Zoe Fleck was named the Big 12 Libero of the Year and Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres was Setter of the Year.
